Supporting the fight against climate change with Glac-UP
There are numerous challenges facing the world today, one of the biggest being climate change. At IG, we believe that we should all be working towards addressing these challenges. We take our environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments seriously and welcome the opportunity to lend a helping hand to worthy causes and initiatives.
To this end, we’ve decided to partner with Glac-UP, an Italian benefit corporation start-up that’s doing its part to raise awareness about global warming. Collaborations like this are important because they enable us to maximise the positive impact we can make.
We understand the potentially devastating effects of climate change and are dedicated to doing what we can to help protect the environment. Partnering with Glac-UP is one way we hope to do just that.
Call +41 (0) 58 810 77 42 to talk about opening a trading account. We’re here from Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.
Contact us: +41 (0) 58 810 77 42
Call +41 (0) 58 810 77 42 to talk about opening a trading account. We’re here from Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm.
Contact us: +41 (0) 58 810 77 42
Melting glaciers: a key environmental challenge
Glaciers are melting at an unprecedented rate due to changes in temperature resulting from emissions of CO2 and other climate-altering gases linked to human activity.
Half of all Alpine glaciers melted between 1900 and present day,1 and it’s predicted that up to 90% will disappear by the end of this century.2
Scientists believe that, even if we were to set net CO2 emissions to zero today, we’d only start seeing a positive effect on global temperatures by 2050. According to findings by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) and the 2015 Paris Agreement, this is a delay that the Alpine glaciers can’t afford.
Why should we care about Alpine glaciers?
Alpine glaciers are a source of freshwater and they provide runoff (which is part of the natural water cycle). They also play a role in river navigation, irrigation and power generation, and they help mitigate the risk and infrastructure damage arising from natural hazards.
What is Glac-UP’s mission?
Glac-UP’s mission is an admirably ambitious one: to protect and preserve Alpine glaciers. The organisation strives to achieve this by raising awareness about climate change and its effects and by emphasising the importance of making sustainability a solid commitment in our daily lives.
To further bolster public awareness and ensure maximum impact, Glac-UP also fosters projects aimed at benefiting specific glaciers – notably through the involvement of individuals, corporations, local communities and authorities, and scientists.
The first glacier that Glac-UP is trying to preserve is the Presena glacier in the Italian Alps.
To do this, the organisation will aid in the installation, maintenance and removal of protective tarps on the surface of the glacier during the warmer months to limit its ice-melting rate. This short-term protective method will help preserve around two to three metres in ice and snow thickness each summer. The method started to be used in 2008 by the Pontedilegno-Tonale Consortium, without whose efforts the glacier would not exist today.
How will IG be supporting Glac-UP?
- We’ll be mirroring Glac-UP’s initiatives by raising awareness about melting glaciers amongst our clients, employees and other partners.
- We’ve adopted 10,000 square metres of the Presena glacier in support of the protective covering efforts during the warmer months to help preserve this international tourist attraction.
1 European Environment Agency, 2021.
2 Copernicus, 2019.
